gentility

English

Etymology

From Old French gentilité.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ti/, /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪ.ti/
• (US) IPA^(key): [ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi]

  • Audio (General American):

    (file)

Noun

gentility (countable and uncountable, plural gentilities)

1. (uncountable) The state of being elegant, genteel, having good breeding, or being socially superior.
   • 1967-1969, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure

     He is the violence and fear of the boy of my stories, yet the gentility and sensitivity of poetry.

   • 2020 August 12, Tariro Mzezewa, Kim Severson, “Charleston Tourism Is Built on Southern Charm. Locals Say It’s Time to Change.”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     A powerful visitors’ bureau has pushed the South Carolina city to the top of “best” lists by selling gentility. Critics say that has come at the expense of history and the city’s Black population.

2. The upper classes, the gentry.

Translations

The state of being elegant

• Bulgarian: елегантност (bg) n (elegantnost)
• Georgian: ელეგანტურობა (eleganṭuroba), კეთილშობილება (ḳetilšobileba), დიდგვაროვნობა (didgvarovnoba), გვარიშვილობა (gvarišviloba)
• German: Vornehmheit (de) f, vornehme Herkunft f, vornehme Lebensart f
• Irish: uaisleacht f
• Polish: dystynkcja f
• Portuguese: fidalguia f, gentileza (pt) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked